PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 205 



of coral. These are of two sorts ; one in which the 

 animals have ceased to exist, and the other which is 

 still occupied by them. Both are darker-coloured 

 than the reefs in the middle of the Pacific, owing;, 

 probably, to the various depositions which the rains 

 have washed from the land. The shells found upon 

 them are very much incrusted. About eight miles to 

 the northward of Napa-kiang there is a deep bay, the 

 shores of which are very flat, and have been converted 

 into salt-pans by the natives. A river which appears 

 to have its rise near the capital, after passing at the 

 back of some hills, about five miles inland, empties it- 

 self into this bay. There is also another stream at 

 Potsoong. The natives would not permit us to ascer- 

 tain how far inland the water flowed up the harbour ; 

 nor would they inform us whether it was a division of 

 the island, as its appearance induced us to suppose. 

 In the Chinese plan already alluded to, the island is 

 divided by such a channel ; but it is doubtful whether 

 this division may not be intended for the channel 

 which separates Loo Choo from the Madjico-sima 

 group, as the island to the southward has Ta-ping- 

 chan written upon it, and there is a small island close 

 to the eastward of it called Little Lew-Kew* The 

 relative positions of these are correctly given in the 

 plan, but, if intended for those places, there is an 

 egregious violation of all distance and proportion. 



It has been already mentioned that the vegetable 

 productions of the torrid and temperate zones are here 

 found combined. The palmae, boerhaavia, scaevola, 

 tournefortia, and other trees and shrubs recall the 



* Formosa, notwithstanding its is considerably larger than Loo 

 Choo, was called Little Lieou-Kieou, from there being so few in- 

 habitants upon it. — Reciieil de P. Gaubil. 



